Persona 5: Do No Harm
by SheriffKing
Summary: When a police raid goes bad and his best friend is killed, a depressed and disgraced American doctor entombs himself in Tokyo's seedy underbelly. That is, until his friend's daughter, now a prosecutor, drags him reluctantly from his sepulcher to assist in a series of cases that leads all the way to the top. A dark, gritty take on the other side of the mental shutdown investigation.
1. Prologue: Starved Still

**Hello everyone! I'm Sheriff King and my current project is Persona 4: Manifest Destiny. However, a friend of mine and I put together this story while discussing Persona 5 over coffee and we agreed that Sae and Akechi's side of the investigation was criminally under-explored during the game itself. Therefore, we decided to throw together a little something that might shed some light on our interpretation of how it might have gone, along with adding a character of our own design in the mix for flavor. That being said, please enjoy!**

Prologue: Starved Still

The two men hurried outside into the pitter-patter of the rain droplets striking Shibuya streets.  
"So the warrant came through?" The lean, brown-haired man asked his companion.  
His voice was a deep throaty one and was not accustomed to the Japanese language. In this, his non-native tongue, his New England accent still shone through.  
His companion nodded. Though his hair was thoroughly gray, he was only middle-aged. The reflectors on his Tokyo Metropolitan Police uniform jacket flashing every time a car passed by them.  
"I saw this coming, you know. After Shinjuku was purged of organized crime, the largest power vacuum on the island since the times of shoguns was created. It was only a matter of time until its hunger would be sated," he replied grimly.  
"With your efforts, it will be starved still."  
The policeman turned to face his cohort and smiled, "OUR efforts, John-kun. Had I not seen the method to your medical madness myself, I would swear you brought cadavers back to life and lent an ear to their story."  
The American tried to suppress it, but a smirk forced its way onto his lips, "Let's hold off on the circle jerk until after we bring this bastard in, all right?"  
The officer laughed and the two trotted to the police vehicle parked at the curb just outside. The officer jumped right in, but by chance, the American stopped and looked over his shoulder when he reached the passenger door. He's not sure why he did it. Perhaps it was his inclination to allow himself a quick study of the evening streets. Perhaps it was a reflex precipitated by a moment of favor from divine intervention. Whatever it was, the fleeting glance brought a solitary figure into his view. Standing beside an alleyway entrance, stood a rotund man clad in a dripping wet trench coat and a large fedora pulled down over his head. The American squinted to get a better look.  
 _No, it can't be_ , he thought.  
He stepped away from the car and began walking slowly toward the figure.  
"Kaneshiro...?" he muttered, his breath turning to smoke before him with each syllable.  
The figure ducked into the alleyway and the American stopped in his tracks.  
 _Something's not right about this..._  
He heard a click behind him. He turned and saw in the headlights of a passing car, his police officer companion stick his keys into the ignition.  
 _Wait...that click..._  
The American's eyes widened and by simple reflex he threw his hand out, "Nijima, no!"  
It seemed to happen so slowly.  
Cacophony of tearing metal.  
A wave of heat.  
Ears ringing.  
Sound of flesh striking the pavement.  
The taste of copper.  
Smell of smoke. _  
_...  
The pitter-patter of raindrops.


	2. Chapter 1: Desperado Under The Eaves

Chapter 1 - Desperado Under The Eaves

 _Sinatra Club, Shinjuku, Tokyo_

She strode into the dimly lit club with purpose. Her heels clicked audibly against the floor in spite of the club's stereo system blaring Papa Roach. The Sinatra Club, like many businesses of its kind, was strategically located within Shinjuku, arguably the most heavily trodden area by foreign shoes and its music reflected such. Years prior, the Tokyo government sought to curb the growing trend of 'sex tourism' within the Shinjuku district and applied heavy pressure to the many brothels, hostess clubs, and strip clubs that lined their pockets almost solely with foreign custom. While other clubs expended their resources on countering this campaign with heavy advertising and significant price cuts, the Sinatra Club management chose instead to keep its head down and downsize its operation. After the dust had settled, the larger clubs had gone nearly bankrupt and were willing to sell their operations at a steal. The Sinatra Club used this moment to strike and, by using the savings it had stockpiled, purchased the two larger clubs that flanked the original building and joined all three together. Thus, the largest curator of carnal amusements was born.  
Show girls spun around on poles, clothing scarce, as a plethora of foreigners and locals alike looked on shamelessly hooting and hollering demeaning exclamations and commands. Despite the spectacle, she marched on with her eyes set straight forward, her full head of long, gray hair not moving even a centimeter out of place. A few of the patrons whistled at her as she walked by. She arrived at the door in the rear of the club and was met by a sizeable bouncer.  
"VIPs only," the man said gruffly.  
Calm as could be, the women pulled out a small leather ID case out of her black blazer's pocket and opened it.  
"Public Prosecutor's Office, Special Investigations Unit," she stated.  
The bouncer did not budge.  
"Step away from the door at once or I will have an entire division of officers bust it down and you with it," she said, a venomous bite in her words this time.  
The bouncer 's face contorted into a sneer, but he stepped aside as instructed.  
Just as she had before, Sae strode purposefully across the threshold into the area marked as the 'Private Rooms'. Before her was a hallway lined with doors, each with a specific room number attached to them in brass lettering. The walls were adorned with a red wallpaper, outlines of people in risqué positions embodied its pattern. She methodically walked down the dimly lit hallway, the red carpet underfoot muffling the report of her heels. Despite all she had previously witnessed, she still winced as a muffled, feminine moan became audible through a door she passed. Finally, she arrived at her destination. Room 7.  
She reached down and tried the door knob. To her surprise, it was unlocked. She flung it open and marched inside, the nature of the physically intimate activities likely taking place within notwithstanding.  
The room matched the hallway. Red carpet, red wallpaper, and dim lighting. However, upon opening the door, she was struck in the face by a noxious cocktail of alcohol, perfume, and chlorine. She coughed, pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket, and held it over her nose to staunch the odor. Before her, lying on a bed, were three individuals: two women and a man, all three of which were sound asleep. One of the women and the man were lying in the proper position, their heads resting on the same end as the pillows. The third woman, however, was the opposite. To her disgust, Sae saw the man was lying his head on this girl's naked posterior.  
"Get up, Warren-san," she snapped.  
He did not stir.  
Sae glanced around the room and found a half-empty bottle of sake standing on the nightstand. She picked up the bottle and poured its contents onto the face of the sleeping man.  
The man's eyes flickered open. When he realized what was happening, he threw his hand up to shield himself from the falling liquid.  
"Jesus! What the Hell-" He blinked rapidly as his eyes focused and his voice caught in his throat when he recognized his assailant, "...Sae?"  
Sae's eyes narrowed in response, "Get up," she said again.  
The man's surprise quickly sobered and his look of general fatigue overtook his features once more, "What need could be so great that the Ghost of Christmas Past would darken my door?"  
"Get dressed. You're coming with me. Any prior...engagements you may have are to be neglected," Sae commanded, eyeing the shoulder holster for a Colt .45 pistol hanging on the bed's headboard.  
The man sat up in a rage, "No! I'm John-goddamn-Warren, not a hound to be led by the ear!" He gripped his head after the outburst, clearly hung-over.  
Sae remained silent. She picked up the remote to the TV that faced the bed and turned it on. A breaking news report was ongoing.  
"...direct footage from the accident. According to the police, the engineer's life was not in danger despite his injuries. After questioning, even he could not explain his high speed as he was approaching the station. No further comments were made. The police are still looking for a plausible motive, " the news anchor recited.  
John's features softened and he sighed, rubbing his eyes.  
"...How many?" he managed.  
"No deaths...yet. All passengers suffered varying degrees of injuries from minor to critical," Sae explained.  
John considered this for a moment, "...And if I still refuse aid to this inquiry of yours?"  
"Then I have you arrested for wielding a pistol," she replied matter-of-factly.  
John winced as one of the girls in bed with him groaned, "Johnny-kun, can you shut this bitch up?"  
He rubbed his face and took a swig from a flask that was apparently tucked somewhere under his sheets.  
"I'll be with you a minute, Sae, just give me some-"  
"No, now," Sae snapped, cutting him off.  
He raised his head to look her in the eye, "I'm starkers underneath these sheets. If you insist on sticking around for that particular show, be my guest."  
Sae shook her head and marched outside, slamming the door behind her.  
John rubbed his eyes again and scanned the floor of the room. Various articles of discarded clothes littered it like a minefield. He tried to put on his pants standing up, but lost his balance and fell back against the bed's mattress.  
One of the girls who was observing him giggled, "Having fun?"  
John glanced back at her, "Not nearly as much fun as taking them off."  
With slow, deliberate motions he was able to fully dress himself once more. He made for the door, but then stopped and doubled back. One of the girls was taking a swig from his flask. With a swift motion, he snatched it out of her hand.  
"You can take my cash all night, darlin', but you keep your pretty little paws off my booze," he whispered before taking a swig himself and striding out the door.  
Sae was waiting just outside, an irritated look on her face.  
"Let's go," she said tersely.  
The two walked side by side out of the club and out into the Shinjuku sunlight. John squinted and quickly covered his eyes with his hand.  
"Why do you summon me, Sae? You say no one had died yet," John managed to say as they walked around into the parking lot.  
"Get in the car," she replied, ignoring the question.  
John slammed his hands down on the car's roof, "No, dammit. I just told you, I'm not your dog! I'm a medical examiner, a doctor for Christ's sake!"  
Sae glared at him, her piercing gaze all the more augmented by her dark, red irises.  
"You're right. None have died yet. I believe, however, that your skills could prevent any future likelihood of such, as well as find the reason behind this particular incident. Is that not reason enough for you?" she replied coldly.  
John exhaled and nodded, finally opening the passenger door and sitting down.

The car ride was silent between them, agonizingly so. The traffic was always horrendous and the fact that a subway line was now completely out of service made it even more so.  
"Sae, where we going?" John asked.  
She remained silent and scowled.  
"Sae?"  
Her scowl grew more intense.  
"I would ask you to stop giving me the cold shoulder, but I am convinced the other one would be equally as frigid," John quipped, pulling out a package of cigarettes from his breast pocket.  
"I do not respond to those who refuse to even attempt the usage of proper honorifics," she replied.  
John's eyes narrowed, "Oh, my sincerest apologies, Sae-san. Wait, perhaps it's Sae-sama now? I can't tell," he said dryly, bringing a lit match to his cigarette.  
Sae snatched the white stick out of his mouth and tossed it out of her window, "We're going to the crash site," she snapped.  
John eyed her with disdain, "Those cost almost five-hundred yen a pack, you know?"  
"Well if you prove your worth today, perhaps you will find the employment necessary to afford smoking your life expectancy away as often as you'd like," she replied coldly.  
"I don't have to prove jack shit," he grumbled, looking out his window.  
Sae bit her tongue and exhaled deeply, choosing instead to let the exchange of barbed comments die.  
She pulled her car up onto the sidewalk in front of the entrance to the subway tunnel which was roped off with police tape and guarded by police sentries. The pair got out of the car and approached the crime scene.  
"Sae Nijima, Special Investigations Unit," Sae said, flashing her ID card at the sentry, "and this is Doctor John Warren, independent consultant."  
John gave a small wave, "How do."  
The officer drew back when he smelled the odor coming off of John's clothes, "Uh, right this way, Nijima-san," he said, lifting up the police tape.  
The pair ducked underneath it and descended the concrete stairs down onto the subway platform. The area which was usually packed with students, office workers, tourists, and other such commuters was instead now populated by a variety of public safety personnel, government and corporate bureaucrats alike.  
Among them was a young man, just high school aged, wearing a tan peacoat and neatly-pressed black dress pants. His messy chestnut hair was approximately shoulder length. He was crouched down next to small cluster of metal debris that had apparently come off the train upon its collision.  
"Akechi-san," Sae said professionally.  
The boy identified as Akechi turned from his study to face them, "Oh, Sae-san! I was just thinking this area could use a splash of beauty added to it," he said with an innocent smile, getting to his feet.  
His eyes fell on John and he regarded him with a slight bow, "Greetings, sir. Are you a companion of Sae-san?"  
"I wouldn't say-" John began, only to be cut off by Sae.  
"This is Doctor John Warren, medical examiner. He is a consultant. Doctor Warren, this is Goro Akechi, consulting detective," she explained.  
Akechi's eyes widened, "John Warren? As in, the gentleman who founded the Harvard Medical School in the United States?"  
John smirked, "No relation."  
Akechi chuckled, "And a sense of humor to boot! I feel as though we will get along famously," he said warmly, extending a hand.  
John looked at the outstretched hand and back up at the face of its owner. Finally, he accepted it firmly.  
"Sure, junior," he replied.  
Sae led them to the crunched wreckage of the subway tram. The train had clearly derailed and tipped over, each train car ramming into the back of the one in front of it.  
"I'd say it's a miracle no one was killed," Akechi observed as they approached the cab of the train.  
The stepped through the crooked door way carefully in single file. The cab was a mess, instruments were shattered, cords and wires hanging from the ceiling. There were a couple of forensic personnel within taking pictures of the scenes and collecting items of interest.  
"So this is where the engineer was when the incident occurred?" John asked.  
Akechi nodded, "Indeed. That fact has been attested to by passengers and the engineer himself."  
John slowly circled the area, examining the control panels, chairs, and floor along the perimeter. Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks and leaned over to examine one such control panel.  
"What do we have here..." he said under his breath.  
"Find something?" Sae asked.  
John slowly nodded, "Either of you got a pen you don't mind losing?"  
"Why does that matter?" Sae asked, a hint of irritation in her voice.  
Akechi, however, made no such protests and immediately pulled a pen out of his pocket and handed it to John.  
"Thanks, junior," John grunted.  
"Doctor, you will refer to Akechi-san by his proper name and honorific," Sae scolded.  
Akechi laughed, "Oh my, it's quite alright, Sae-san. I find Warren-san's casual demeanor refreshing."  
John ignored the exchange as he dipped the tip of the pen into a splotch of blackish-green liquid he was examining. He brought the coated tip up to his nose and sniffed it. He immediately jerked his head away.  
"Hoo-wee, that's the stench, alright," he said to himself, rubbing his nose.  
"Stench of what?" Sae asked.  
"Bile. Someone lost their lunch here," John said, tilting his head, "or did they?"  
"When do you plan on speaking in straight answers?" Sae snapped.  
John rubbed his chin and looked around the area. After a thorough examination of the general area, he found there were a total of four very small drops of the noxious liquid in the vicinity.  
"Who is it that sits here?" John asked.  
Akechi pulled out his notepad and examined it intently, "According to my diagram, the engineer," Akechi replied.  
John nodded, "That makes sense..."  
Sae brushed a hair out of her face, "Does it now? Care to share why?"  
"Like I said before, someone got sick here. Or at least, attempted to. We know now that was the engineer," John said, pointing out the dark green droplets.  
"And that's important how?"  
"When someone throws up, their gag reflex is triggered. As such, the unpleasant hacking and choking scenario occurs where the stomach contents are expelled somewhat forcefully. This usually makes quite the mess, "John explained.  
"But that's not the case here. The only evidence is a few droplets," Akechi observed.  
John nodded, "Correct."  
Sae looked between the two of them, "So...what? Are you insinuating that the gag reflex wasn't triggered?"  
"Bingo. The digestive system was clearly in an act of rebellion, but the reflexes in the throat and upper trachea did not reciprocate as is standard."  
Akechi scratched his chin, "What would cause that?"  
John tapped the side of his head, "Something up here short-circuited."  
Sae nodded, "So it was a mental defect."  
John shrugged, "Looks that way. Of what nature, however, is unknown. Could be drugs, could've been a nervous system malfunction akin to a seizure or a stroke."  
"The engineer did not test positive on preliminary drug-screening, but I will see to it that the lab is thorough in its secondary examinations," Sae said.  
"Regardless, I think Warren-san's analysis can disprove any assumption that the engineer caused this deliberately while in full control of his faculties," Akechi added, a note of relief in his voice.  
John took out a cigarette and put it between his teeth, "If the guy were dead, I could cut him up and tell you way more, but I'm afraid that this is as far as my expertise can take you for the time being."  
Sae pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head, "Well, it's something."  
Akechi placed a hand on John's shoulder, "Your skills are most impressive. I wouldn't mind having them at my disposal more often."  
John took the cigarette out of his own mouth and offered it to Akechi.  
"Oh, I'm sorry, I don't smoke," Akechi declined politely.  
"I know. I just thought this would help you blow more smoke up my ass," John quipped.  
Akechi chuckled, "And witty remarks to boot, most stimulating."  
"That's enough. Warren-san, you're with me," Sae said sternly, turning on her heel toward to the train exit.  
John shrugged and followed after her, putting the cigarette back in his mouth.  
The pair ascended the stairway up and out of the subway platform.  
"So am I free to go?" John asked, squinting as the sun's glare struck his eyes.  
Sae brushed a strand of hair out of her face and turned to him, "Despite what the despicable state I found you in would lead me to believe, you are still in tune with your skills. It would be foolish of me to dismiss them. That being said, I'm bringing you on board."  
John smirked to himself, "Is that a job offer?"  
"I'm not asking," Sae said matter-of-factly.  
John gave her a condescending look, "Well then, as to not betray my consistently contradictory nature, I respectfully request that you bite me."  
Sae's eyes narrowed, "That's a shame. I understand your pension is going to go under review soon, it would be a horrible shame if they decided to sever it."  
John's smug expression gave way to panic and then rage.  
"Dammit, Sae, you can't just-"  
Sae looked at her watch nonchalantly, "So it's a yes, then?"  
John ground his teeth, taking deep breaths in anger before reluctantly nodding.  
Sae gave a self-assured smile, "I thought you'd come to your senses," she said as she opened the driver side door of her car.  
"I will send for you tomorrow. Make sure you bathe and dress appropriately," she said.  
"Wait just a minute, how-" John protested, but she had already begun driving down the street.  
"-am I supposed to get home?"  
 _Shit._

 **A/N: Thank you for reading the first chapter! This is an experimental story, so if you're interested in seeing more, please leave me a review or PM saying so!**


End file.
